In this article, my intention is to share the ways in which a day job can be a good self-development experience for young men.
Day-jobs have been an important part of my development as they supply me with the income I need for my personal and professional goals as I continue to build my business empire.
However, having day jobs have also taught me insights about my character and what I am capable of.
If you’re reading this and you have a day job then my intention is for you to appreciate it a bit more as it is probably doing more for you than you think.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should settle. Spartan Ownership is about living your life to a higher standard in all that you do. It’s about constant never-ending improvement (CANI).
What is the best day job for young men?
Me at my construction job.
If you are a young guy or a guy who is in the process of building his empire, you still need to pay bills so you may need to take on a day job for a while.
I have had several day jobs:
- A waiter at a high-end restaurant
- Sales job
- Construction worker
- Barbeque line cook
- General office work
High-End Waiter in NYC
I would say that my favorite day job was being a waiter at a high-end restaurant in NYC.
We were well trained and had a code of behavior we had to abide by.
This taught me to be more polite and carry myself in a better way.
Being a waiter was also very physical and contributed to my cardiovascular health.
The downside was that I was pretty much the only straight guy in the establishment.
This made for a bit of a lonely feeling when interacting with others as nobody had the same interests as me (martial arts, girls, etc).
Working as a waiter also helped me develop more social intelligence just by virtue of interacting with people so much.
My memory also improved since I had to memorize the menu and all the ingredients and wines.
The chef I worked for was a dick (I heard most chefs are dicks) and he would get on my case if I forgot an ingredient.
This taught me to pay attention to detail.
Line Cook at Busy Texas BBQ
Being a line cook at a very busy Texas Barbeque joint was by far the most intense job I had.
Texas law doesn’t require employers to give their employees any breaks so I would work for 7+ hours straight without any breaks.
My tasks included constant movement in order to serve incoming clients, cut their meat, package it, serve them sides, refuel inventory, clean the area, and more.
At times, we had thousands of people come in per day and it was very intense.
For the first month or so, I dreaded being at work and really didn’t enjoy it.
I also didn’t particularly like the people I was working with.
But after a while, I got the hang of it and actually started to enjoy it especially when I appreciated the fact that it was helping me pay my bills and it could be a whole lot worse.
This job taught me that I was capable of sustained and intense work for hours on end with no break.
Granted, this job wasn’t highly cerebral which is why it may have been easier to sustain focus.
But nonetheless, without having that experience, I wouldn’t have known that I was capable of that level of intensity for that long a time.
On top of this, I would still be hitting the gym, doing martial arts, and more.
Construction
I didn’t really do this enough to have a concrete position on it but construction was similar in that it taught me I was capable of long and sustained work under some pretty bad conditions.
It can toughen a man up, that’s for sure.
Office work and sales
Office work was often times the least enjoyable.
Office politics is annoying to deal with especially since you see adults acting like petty babies and constantly talking shit.
It also doesn’t help when you’re trying to sell a product you don’t even particularly believe in.
The one thing I can say is that during a lot of my office work, I would fuck off and not be as productive as I could have been.
Me at my BBQ job
The NUMBER ONE thing I learned from all of this is:
WORK ETHIC
Most day jobs are shit. Most day jobs are a dead end. All of that is true.
You need to focus on doing something that is aligned with your deepest purpose whether that’s starting your own business or working with someone who has a compelling vision.
However, what day jobs could teach you is how to delay your gratification and develop a work ethic.
You can also learn how to enjoy doing things you don’t necessarily love to do.
This takes presence and a positive focus but it’s possible.
I have had some very fulfilling experiences cutting meat and serving others as weird as that may sound.
It was all about the quality of my internal state.
But work ethic is the biggest thing that day jobs taught me and now I know what I’m capable of.
Best,
Maximillian Giamarco
P.s. Would like to make progress on your journey to self-mastery? Check out the Spartan Ownership shop here for badass tools, gadgets, and training courses that will accelerate your growth. Also, if you would like more personalized help with setting your objectives, book a coaching/strategy session with me here.
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